Waterproof wall plate with hinged lids



Jan. 27, 1959 P. H. WINTER 2,870,933

WATERPROOF WALL PLATE WITH HINGED LIDS Filed Feb. 14, 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet l i .M h"

-25 1 a 5/ FIG 4 I l/ 23 E INVENTOR PAUL H. WINTER MULUJ-K ATTORNEYS Jan. 27, 1959 P. H. WINTER 2,870,933

' WATERPROOF WALL PLATE WITH HINGED mos Filed Feb. 14, 1957 v 2 Sheets-Sheet z INVENT OR PAUL H. w n/rm BY fiwauuxwk ATTORNEY UnitedfStates.

WATERPROOFYWALL PLATE WITH HIjNGED LIDS Paul H. Winterifiyracuse, N. Y., assign or to Pass &

Seymour,- Inc.,.Syracuse, NQYQ, a corporation of New York Application February 14, @1957, Serial No: 646,128-

10 Claims. or. 220- 243 This invention relates? to Wall plates for outlet receptacles and morecparticularly to such platesl with a hinged lidyioverdeach opening. therethrough equipped if desired to provide waterproof closure therefor. a It isxalgeneral objectof the present invention to providewnovel and improved wallplates withihinged lids. t

More specifically. it is anobject of the present invention;

to providewall plates: with hinged andspring closedlids in which. all hingeparts'are formed withoutdrilling or other machining and assembled without the use of loose t An important; objectmof the-invention. consists -in 1 the formationnof halftbearings :integrali withithe plate ;and

trunnionsnintegral with the lid and heldin assembled repins,xrivets and-lthe like;

plate illustrating the hinge and spring arrangement and theafunction of the cover element; and

Fig. 110 is areanelevation of the face plate and assembled parts. l i p t Heretofore a Waterproof wall plate for electric con venience outlets has been provided with a screw-threaded lationship by a sheet metal hinge and: spring icover inter t locked with the plate by integral parts.

Another important. objectof the.-.invention resides in the arrangement of hinge trunnions .of ditferentnlengths Whereby onemayvhe surrounded by the lid closurespring beyond its cooperationwith the halfbearings.

One pertinent feature .of the invention. consists in. airrangingspacer means between thehalf bearingsto hold the lidagainst lateral movement-by engagement with. the

ends oftthetrunnions. t a

Another pertinent feature involves the disposition: of thehelical spring so that one end-is engaged onthe plate edge andhidden by the plateextensionwhich interlocks withfthe spring cover.

Another important "feature is the construction of the parts wholly without machining, drilling, riveting and the like whereby the cost is materially reduced without impairing the quality;

Still another important feature consists in the use of a each exposeone of thenfaces of theconvenience outlet and .gasketed cap forscrewing' onto a spigot sticking out from the faceof the wall plate and surrounding the opening for theconvenience outlet, or in certain other cases has a hinged lid carrying a gasket or cooperating with onetonthe plate and held closed by a spring or the like. Such constructions involved considerable machine work or a ratheriutricate hinging mechanism forattaching the lid to the wall plate and required the use of separate hinge pins; screws .or. rivetsfor fastening .the. stationary hinge portionto the wall plate and altogether required the manufacturing and assembling .of more parts than r necessary or desirable in such a construction: The present invention makes use of :a single piece wall plate, a

lid pro-videdwith.integral arms carrying integral hinge pins which .are adapted .to cooperate withispaced notches in theytop of an integral graised portiorron the wall plate, a helical spring for surrounding one-of the pins. and a pressed sheet metal. cover which completes .the' hinge construction,covers the spring and is'securedpto. the wall I plate' by .part's integral with thetcooperatingt units.

As. shown .inFig. 1.oflthedrawingr.the..vvall plate; if

is rectangular, andinw'thesingle. gang formshownuis. of conventionaljsize for closing thEXOPGHJfflCB of the usual.

switch box, across thewface of whichqis mounted a con- Vention'alwfonn of convenience outlet, that-for the plate illustrated being of the dual type: and provided with two slotted faces each arranged .toreceive the' prongs of a standard. attachment plug. *The plate li is hence provided. with a pair of openings: i6 property-positioned to t therethrough when the plate is mounted by 41163138 of a.

the pressed metal hinge and spring cover which holds the a trunnions1in the halfgbearings, has integral attaching means thereonfor mounting on the stops to limit theextent oflid lift.

Other'and further. features and objects of the invention will be more apparent to those skilledin the art upon.

a consideration of the accompanying drawingand following specification wherein is disclosed a single exern-w plaryembodirnent thereof with the understanding that such changes and modifications may be madetherein as plate and provides fall within theseope of the appended claims without de-. 1

parting from the spirit of .theinvention.

In said drawings:

Fig. 1 is a face view of a waterproof wall plate with hinged lids,

the whole being constructed in accordance.

with the present invention and showing one lid closed and.

one op en r Fig. 2 is a fragmentary face View of thewall plate.

showing only the integral parts thereof; a Fig. 3 is a fragmentary section taken on broken line 3-3 of; Fig. ;2 showing a trunnion socket;

Fig.3 4 is a transverse sectiontaken on broken lineal-6 of Fig. ltshowingmhe spring held cover in closed position; p

Fig. 5 is a left end view of the device of Fig. 1;

of standard dimensions.

centraln'iounting screwj passing throughthefiopening i7 therein and received into a threaded hole in the cone venience outlet fitting. a Any, suitable form oftgasket (not shown) a may serve to:seal the plate 15. against the for-- ward edges ofxthe mounting box.

The .plate ll'o' is of convenional.rectangular shape and thin,- pressednretal plate but a relatively heavy. one cast of: somedightmetal such: as aluminum. This Coil.

struction permits certain integral portions to be raised above the normal face or flat surface thereof, such as the elliptical rim :18 surrounding bothopenings-M, and. also the pair of blocks 19, one adjacent each plate opening. 16 for purposes which will. subsequently. appear. The back of the .plateas illustrated in Fig. 10=includes a shallow recess20 formed by the rearwardly extending rim 3i whichenableshbetter contact with a flexible gasket. The recesses 22shown one adjacent each ofthefopenings It; 1 are to accommodate; the heads of the screwsand the ends l of the mounting straps of the convenience outlet project abovethe edges of the walltherof...

which Each opening 16'is surrounded; onthefront face by a r whereby the. 1 resilient". gasket forwardly protruding lip 23 24 carriedon aflhingeda cover or lid.:25 may engage it tightly topreservenwatertightness. .Thereuwisa-lid "25 t for" :each .opening it 16 and. the lids: are; individuallyhinged to ,thGwblQCkSfx19 in .a @manner;iwhich willttnowvbe :de-

. scribed. Each lid carries on its inner face an integral Patented 1Jan.x27,: 1959 Preferably however, it is not a asropss These lids, like the plate itself, are individual castings ,of

light metal in order that the hinge mechanism may be integrated therewith.

In order to provide hinge parts .oneach lid extensions 27 and 28 project beyond the upper edge of thelid, one on eitherside andthe facing walls of these extensions are fitted with aligned, integral pivot pins 29 and 30, the one on the left projection being relatively short and intended solely for useas a pivot, whereas the one on the right extension is about twice the lengthof 29 and is intended to hold the helical spring 32, which serves to maintain the closing tension on the lid, and has the end portion to act as a pivot in cooperation with the part 29.

The facing ends of these pivot pins are spaced apart as clearly seen in Fig. 8, and are adapted tobe received individually in the spaced half cylindrical notches 33 and 34 in one of the blocks 19. These notches are illustrated best in Figs. 2 and 3 and the pins are shown seated therein in Fig. 8. The blocks 19 are integral with the plate and with rim 18 thereon, and their top surfaces 35 are flat and parallel to the surface of the plate.

In addition to pivot sockets 33 and 34 is a deep slot 37 through each block 19 closely adjacent to the opening 16 for a purpose which will shortly appear. In addition block 19 has an extension 40 beyond the upper edge of the plate, as clearly seen in Figs. 2 and 3, and this is provided with laterally extending wings 41 and 42 by virtue .of the deep slots 43 and 44 between them and the main body on the block. These slots 43 and 44 as well as the recess 37, as seen in Fig. 3, taper, because' they have been formed by core or die portions which have the necessary draft.

, As seen in Fig. 8 and several of the other figures, the pin 30 on the lid is surrounded for a part of its length by the several turns of helical spring 32 and one end, 46, of this spring rests in notch 47 alongside of the upwardly projecting lip 48 at the upper edge of the cover plate 25 between arms 27 and 28. As viewed in Fig. 9 the wire extending from arm 46 passes down under the pivot pin 30, makes several convolutions thereabout and terminates in tangent arm 49 passing under extension wing 42 and between it and chamfer 50 formed about the outer periphery of plate 15. This is best seen in Fig. 9. It will be seen that arm 49 is rigidly held between 42 and 50 after the coils of the spring have been stressed sufficiently to hold the lid closed.

As viewed in Fig. 9 the convolutions of the spring are seen to be wound about pivot pin- 30 in the counterclockwise direction from arm 46 for approximately four turns and then arm 49 extends outwardly tangentially thereto and passes between the chamfer on the edge of wall plate and .the arm 42. The springwhen in the condition just described and illustrated is under considerable tension so that it exerts a rotationaleffort toward closing the lid against its gasket to insure watertightness.

To maintain the assemblage just described in the proper relationship, it is enclosed in a pressed sheet metal cover 60, best seen in perspective in Fig; 7. This has a semicylindrical portion 61 adapted to encase the upper half of spring 32 and engage its outer convolutions to prevent pivot from moving upwardly out of its socket. To the left of this portion the top of this cover is flattened as at 62 so that its under surface engages against the top surface of pivot pin 29, as best seen in Figs. 4 and 5, acting thus to hold it closely into its socket. The forward or lower side of the cover is provided with a pair of tangs 62 and 63 the first of which is received in the deep notch 37 shown in Figs. 2 and 3 and-the second, spaced laterally to the right thereof, passes down closely against the edge 64 of the block 19 and its front face lies against the flat surface 65 (Fig. 2). On the far side of the cover. are two depending tangs 67 and 68 spaced apart the same distance as that between the bottoms of' the notches 43 and 44. into which they fit, as seen best in Fig. 5.

To hold the assembly of wall plate, lid, spring and cover as a unit, the lower ends of thedownwardly projecting arms 67 and 68 are pinched or bent toward each other, as best shown in Fig. 6, and thus engage beneath the metal of the neck between the notches 43 and 44 and prevent any. relative movement of the cover in respect to the plate. This makes the cover a rigid part. of theassembly and since its length is just adequate for it to fit between the arms 27 and 28 of the hinge .plate 25 a portion of this cover can be extended as at 70 to provide shoulder 71 to be engaged by the arm 27 when the cover is opened a substantial amount beyond to act as a limit stop. The right hand cover in Fig. 1 is lifted substantially to its maximum and this view, as well as Figs. 4 and 5, illustrates the turned up tab or tongue 73 at the lower endof the lid which facilitates engagement by thefinger or thumb for lifting. a

Since the gasket 24 is integrated with the ing ridge 26 the whole assembly of parts just described is an integral whole held together solely by the bending inward of the ends of the tangs 67 and 68. No other fastening means are necessary and hence there are no loose pins, screws, rivets or other parts used in the as-.- i sembly. The hinge construction provided is strong, accurately made to prevent wobbling or lateral movement 1 of the lid and easily constructed by die casting of the several parts without the requirement for any machining whatsoever, the sheet metal cover 60' of course being made in a die stamping operation.

'I claim:

1. In a waterproof wall plate assembly for an electric convenience outlet, in combination, a metal wall plate for covering the face of an outlet box and having an access opening therethrough for exposing a convenience outlet in the box to receive an attachment plug, a lid for said opening comprising a rigid plate having a pair of substantially parallel spaced arms extending beyond one'end thereof, aligned pivot pins extending toward each other,

one from each arm and having their facing ends separated a fixed distance, a block integral with said plate and extending above the top surface thereof adjacent said open a ing, the top surface of said block being flat and parallel to the plate top surface, aligned, half cylindrical notches in said block spaced said fixed distance to receive'and act as bearings for said pivot pins, a cover for said block shaped to hold said pins in said notches and interengaging integral parts on the block and cover exposed beyond one edge of the plate for securing the cover to the block.

2. The wall plate assembly of claim 1 in which a heli-- iug the ends of said block and said lid having an upwardly 9 directed extension between said arms overlapping the topsurface of said block and extending to the said cover.

4. A hinge construction for a lid protecting a convenience outlet adapted to be exposed through a hole in an outlet box wall plate comprising incombination a block extending integrally above the front'surface of said plate adjacent said hole, a pair of parallel arms extending from the side edges of said lid to encompass said block, aligned pivot pins extending toward each other from said arms, notches in said block spaced to pivot said pins and resist axial movement thereof, one of said pins being longer than its notch and receiving a helical spring having its opposite ends flexed respectively against said plate and lid to urge the latter toward closed position, and a lid 25 by a suitable adhesive and centered by means of the upstandcover for said spring and pivot pins secured to said block and shaped to engage one pivot pin and the periphery of the spring on the other to hold the lid assembled on the plate. 1

5. The hinge construction of claim 4 in which said block has vertical channels in the ends thereof remote from the lid, and tangs on the edge of said cover remote from the lid extending through said channels and deflected beyond the channel bottoms.

6. The hinge construction ofclaim 5 in which said block has a vertical passage therein on the lid side of the hinge axis and a tab extending into said hole from the edge of said cover adjacent said lid.

7. A hinge for a lid for an aperture in a wall plate for an outlet box comprising, in combination, an integral ex tension above the surface of said plate adjacent said aperture and having two aligned, spaced, semicylindrical notches therein with their axis parallel to the plate surface and spaced from an edge of the hole, a lid for said hole having spaced arms extending therefrom, aligned pivots extending toward each other one from each arm and spaced to the order of the said notch spacing, a cover for said extension and said pivots adapted to cooperate with the latter to hold them in said notches, and spaced tangs on said cover straddling a portion of said extension and bent beneath it to hold the assembly together.

8. The hinge as defined in claim 7 in which one of said pivots is longer than its notch, a helical spring surrounding the excess legn'th of said pivot and having end wires respectively engaging the plate and the lid to bias the latter toward aperture closing.

9. The hinge as defined in claim 7 in which said pivots are substantially cylindrical and their axis lies substantially in the plane of the upper surface of the lid.

10. The hinge as defined in claim 7 in which a stop surface is provided by extending one end of the said cover above one of the tangs thereon and the lid arm adjacent to said end is positioned to engage said extension upon opening movement in excess of to limit the degree to which the lid may be lifted.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,037,083 Thurman Aug. 27, 1912 1,467,261 Babcock Sept. 4, 1923 2,371,557 Sullivan Mar. 13, 1945 

